Official Synopsis:
One of today's most talented and versatile actors takes the spotlight in The Jamie Foxx Film Collection featuring four of the acclaimed actor's most unforgettable films: Ray (for which he won the Best Actor Academy Award), Miami Vice, The Kingdom and Jarhead. This 8-disc set showcases some of Hollywood's most respected stars such as Academy Award winner Chris Cooper, Jake Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Garner and Jeremy Piven. Loaded with hours of bonus features, The Jamie Foxx Film Collection is the ultimate way to experience the best films of Jamie Foxx.

Ray
Jamie Foxx stars as the music genius Ray Charles in this portrayal of his humble Southern beginnings through his rise to the top of the American music charts.

Miami Vice
Detectives Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) and Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) get pulled into the world of drug trafficking as they investigate the murders of two federal agents.

The Kingdom
When a Western housing compound in Saudi Arabia is attacked, an FBI special agent (Jamie Foxx) assembles an elite team to locate the man behind the bombing.

Jarhead
Marine enlistee "Swoff" (Jake Gyllenhaal) journeys from boot camp to active duty in the Middle East in a sniper platoon under the command of a career sergeant (Jamie Foxx)

Our Take:
As much as I like Jamie Foxx, I don’t know that he’s a big enough movie star yet to warrant a DVD collection of his own. That being said, The Jamie Foxx Film Collection is one seriously kick-ass set. This eight-disc collection includes four films, each boasting some sort of special edition pedigree. Of those four films, one features Foxx’s Oscar-winning turn as Ray Charles in Ray, and another is the criminally underrated and severely brilliant Jarhead. Hoo-ah! In addition, the collection boasts the also-underrated The Kingdom, now expanded to a 2-disc collector’s edition, and Miami Vice, which is the weakest film in the set, although it’s own certain amount of fun.

While rights issues prevented the inclusion of Foxx films such as Collateral (which would have been a good fit here) and taste issues prevented the inclusion of Stealth, this is a pretty nice set in terms of both quality of the films included and range of roles. Granted, The Kingdom and Miami Vice are both action films, but The Kingdom is much more topical whereas Miami Vice is all style and flash. Jarhead may look like an action film, but it’s really not. It’s a psychological drama that is brilliant and fascinating, and one of my favorite films of the past few years. Of course, Ray is the star of the show hear, as Foxx’s performance is amazing. The musical nature of the film gives it a lighter feel that’s a nice change of pace from the intensity of the other films in the set. The Jamie Foxx Film Collection has expanded this one into a 3-disc set.

There are a number of extra features included on each film’s DVD (or bonus discs for most of them). Here’s the full breakdown:

Ray: 3-Disc Limited Edition:

* Extended Version of the Film.

* Feature Commentary with Director Taylor Hackford.

* Cast and Filmmakers.

* Deleted Scenes.

* Extended Musical Scenes.

* Stepping into the Part.

* Ray Remembered.

* A Look Inside Ray.

* Theatrical Trailers.

* Extended Musical Scenes.

* The Women of Ray.

* The Filmmaker's Journey.

* Ray: An American Story.

Miami Vice: Unrated Director's Edition:

* Miami Vice Undercover.

* Miami & Beyond: Shooting on Location.

* Visualizing Miami Vice.

* Behind the Scenes Featurettes.

* Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Michael Mann.

The Kingdom: Deluxe Edition:

* Deleted Scenes.

* Character by Character: The Apartment Shootout.

* Constructing the Freeway Sequence.

* Creating the Kingdom.

* History of the Kingdom: An Interactive Timeline.

* Feature Commentary with Director Peter Berg.

* Firearms and Stunts.

* Inside the Action.

* Behind the Scenes with the Cast.

* On the Set with the Director Peter Berg.

* Shifting Cultural Perspectives: Ali Suliman and Ashraf Barhom.

Jarhead: Collector's Edition:

* Swoff's Fantasies (With Optional Commentary by Director Sam Mendes and Editor Walter Murch).

* News Interviews in Full (With Optional Commentary by Director Sam Mendes and Editor Walter Murch).

* Deleted Scenes (With Optional Commentary by Director Sam Mendes and Editor Walter Murch).

* Feature Commentary with Director Sam Mendes.

* Feature Commentary with Screenwriter William Broyles, Jr. and Author Anthony Swofford.

* Jarhead Diaries with Introduction by Director Sam Mendes.

* Background with Introduction by Director Sam Mendes.

* Semper Fi: Life After the Corps (Includes Audio Introduction by Author Anthony Swofford).

The way I see it, you don’t have to be a huge Jamie Foxx fan to be interested in this set. Both Jarhead and The Kingdom are ensemble pieces, Miami Vice is equally Colin Farrell’s film, and Ray is the only movie that truly features Foxx as the star. However, all of these are very enjoyable films, with Miami Vice being the only weak spot in the bunch. Whether you consider yourself a huge Foxx fan or not, the eight discs included in The Jamie Foxx Film Collection are definitely worth watching.

RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movies (average): B+

DVD Set: A+

- Mike Spring

Editor